


Armoured Demo

by WulfingAround



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon, Canonical Alternate Universe, Cloud Strife Needs a Hug, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Gen, Mentioned Zack Fair, Pairing Could Be Taken Either Way, Sort Of, Terra Needs A Hug (KH), Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23331229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WulfingAround/pseuds/WulfingAround
Summary: “Nice distraction,” she winked, then nodding over Terra’s shoulder before darting off towards the inside of the building, two other men rounding either side of him and following after her. He frowned heavily, reaching down for his helmet with his eyes fixed on the area they’d run into.“Who the hell are you, kid,” barely refraining from flinching again, he whirled around, eyes landing on a much, much larger man who’d been standing behind him. Dark skinned, more loosely portrayed military garb with a massive gun for an arm. He swallowed, apprehension growing. All he could feel from this man was pure, unhidden distrust and hostility, a volatile combination for whoever could end up on the other end of it.
Relationships: Cloud Strife & Terra (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope whoever reads this enjoys it. I have a thing for KH/FF crossovers. I truly love them.
> 
> In short, I played the Demo to the new FFVII remake and I absolutely adored it. Terra is one of my favourite KH characters and I just had to throw him into this world and have him follow the events of the Demo, 'and only the Demo'. I won't be writing the entire game out since it's such a long game and it'll take me long enough to write the demo.

Sitting behind a high pile of stacked boxes, his back against a solid wall of an inhabited and large building, Terra sighed, curling closer on him with his legs drawn up to his chest, the only source of light he had being the glow from one of the building’s exterior lights. Even illuminating the bold shades of his armour where he sat and stew in his grim self-hatred. He hadn’t taken any of it off, he couldn’t. For some unknown reason, he lacked his power, though it wasn’t like he _wanted_ to take it off, wanting to hide himself away within literal armour while unable to show his face.

“Idiot,” he muttered to himself, dropping his helmeted face against his crossed arms, elbows resting on his knees. He couldn’t forgive himself, not this time, nor was he _worth_ forgiving. _It’d been a vast misunderstanding, but he’d still let it happen after listening to Master Xehanort, stupidly letting himself give in to his Darkness. If he hadn’t, then he wouldn’t have left himself or his friends Masterless._

How could he have been so stupid? So easily trusting and fooled. And even after all of that, his masters’ last action had been to save his imbecilic pupil, sending him somewhere where he couldn’t even use his weapon, couldn’t even summon it, open a portal or even remove his suit without having to take it apart manually. _Though he supposed that taking away his power could have been a way of punishing him while saving him at the same time by sending him to another world. An unknown one with not so much as an idea of why or what he was there for._

Shaking his head against his forearms, the sharp and solid metal of both his arm guards and helmet scraping together. With no idea of location or what he was meant to do, Terra hadn’t moved from where he’d woken up, having previously been sprawled out behind the stacked boxes, powerless and weaponless, disoriented with a fogged mind. _That having more than likely been due to the loss of his abilities._

Lost, alone and with no way of helping himself at that moment, he felt the vulnerability build, the cold searing within his chest spreading and waking the fear that had been only a fraction bigger than an atom before he’d been forced through that portal. Now though... it had taken over more than half of his being, his confidence and courage having faltered greatly from the lies he’d been told, from believing them so naively. _He didn’t deserve anything good he’d gotten before Master Xehanort had taken over his “training”._

... What was he meant to do? Where was he meant to go? What were the currency of this world and the legality in which he could follow to not draw attention? What was he meant to do for attire? Food? A place to sleep?

Another sigh left his lips, Terra gradually lifting his head from his crossed arms. He wouldn’t know unless he actually stepped out from behind the boxes and asked. Maybe someone could help him with his situation. Or maybe the Master had sent him to an area he himself was familiar with. What if Master Eraqus had been to this world and that had been the reason as to why he’d been sent there? _Hadn’t it been mentioned in their booklets that one would have had to open the doors between worlds to travel there? Meaning that the Master must have travelled there at some point before._

With that somewhat hopeful thought in mind, Terra lifted his helmeted head further, looking up to the stacks of boxes. It was worth a shot, given his situation, and if someone could help, then it’d be easier to find his way. _Maybe if it were the case, then could the Master have known and relayed a message? Or sent word before sending him along?_

Gradually, he climbed to his feet and took the few steps towards the stacks of boxes, ignoring the stiffness in his posture from having been sat there for so long. Reaching out for the wooden cubes at the very top, he shifted them aside, parting them down the centre wide enough for him to climb between them and drop over the other side. Landing gracefully, he eyed his surroundings, looking over his shoulder towards the fenced-off area, a train track set beside it and the path that led up to the other side of where he’d found himself. _And having noted the steam in the air a decent ways away along with the sound of a deeply whirring engine and the chuga-chuga of a train, one was coming._

Shrugging that off for the moment, he made his way along the wide walkway towards the steps leading into the massive building, Terra feeling a tad anxious and apprehensive with his unknown location. There was just as much of a chance that he’d appeared in an enemy location, and he had no weapon or means of escape what with his lack of power and knowledge of his whereabouts.

Striding up towards the entrance, he was met with two armed guards, head-gear obstructing their appearance and _immediately,_ they turned on him, guns aimed with a few rehearsed shouts his way.

“Stop! Identify yourself!” without hesitation, he froze on the spot and raised his hands as the guns were directed his way, the two narrowing in fast as he opened his mouth to reply-, “Remove the helmet!” the other snapped, Terra slowly doing just that, following the order by pressing his hands on either side of it and feeling the tight clasp release with a turn of the helmet. He lifted it, revealing his face as the two continued to close the distance cautiously.

“My name’s Terra,” he stated simply, slowly lowering the helmet to the ground before gradually straightening himself up, “I’m lost,” the warrior continued, only half aware of the train breaks screeching as it closed into their location, “I’m not sure where I am. I woke up behind those boxes,” Terra slowly pointed out the stack, one of the men directing himself that way while the other stayed put, now at his side to keep an eye on him.

“You’re in a restricted area. Are you armed?” the guard asked firmly, the gun trained on Terra with the mans’ hands still raised in a gesture of harmlessness. _He basically ‘was’ without his powers. He’d become a civilian of sorts._

“No, sir. I’m not,” he assured, the brunette taking a glance towards the other guard who was sniffing around the boxes. Returning his gaze to the one holding him at gunpoint, he eyed him carefully before turning more towards him, still wondering as to where he’d woken up, “Where am I?” he wanted to know, _needed_ to if he were to start from somewhere.

“Mako Reactor 1, a highly restricted area,” the last few words were heavily emphasized. He was glad that they appeared to be the type to ask questions first and shoot later, rather than the alternative. And with the highly restricted area he’d appeared in, he was ever more thankful for that fact.

“You’ll have to come with us-,” Terra flinched and leapt back on instinct as the man was attacked from the side. The blow came out of nowhere and sent the guard flying, hitting the ground harshly and just lying there, unconscious from the attack. With wide eyes and a racing heart rate, he looked to the girl that had struck the guard.

Lithe, lean, smaller and with a smile on her lips and black hair pulled into a tail. She wore some kind of armour, a worn, silver metal torso plate, shoulder guards, a red head banned. A loose portrayal of military garb, the combat pants, odd armoured boots and a form-fitting blue shirt beneath her metal torso plating-.

“Nice distraction,” she winked, then nodding over Terra’s shoulder before darting off towards the inside of the building, two other men rounding either side of him and following after her. He frowned heavily, reaching down for his helmet with his eyes fixed on the area they’d run into.

“Who the hell are you, kid,” barely refraining from flinching again, he whirled around, eyes landing on a much, _much_ larger man who’d been standing behind him. Dark skinned, more loosely portrayed military garb with a massive gun for an arm. He swallowed, apprehension growing. All he could feel from this man was pure, unhidden distrust and hostility, a volatile combination for whoever could end up on the other end of it.

“I’m not a kid,” he answered with instead of his name, his frown growing deeper as his guard thickened, posture tightening and muscles tensing, ready to avoid and evade. He didn’t like this man. He seemed the type to leave you to the dogs given the chance.

Though, it appeared that Terra wasn’t worth it. The large stranger scoffed and shrugged him off as if he were nothing to worry about, proceeding to turn back towards the train.

“Get down here, merc,” he ordered with a wave of his hand, Terra tensing further before his eyes caught swift movement, a figure jumping from the train roof and gracefully dropping through the air, landing skilfully only a few feet from him with an enormous blade extending from his hand, just short of the mans’ height. _That being confirmed as he clipped the weapon to his back upon fluidly straightening up._ Another with military garb, though this one seemed to be more realistic than the others.

But the hair, the smoothness in his skin. He looked young. Maybe only a couple of years older than Terra if not the same age _... and that stare, his bright yet deep eyes..._ The way they locked with his own, a shudder clawed its way up his spine.

“Stay outta our way, kid. Or you’ll regret it,” his attention returned, the link between their gazes breaking momentarily for Terra to focus on the other man, said larger guy shoving him aside to pass by. He steeled himself and glared at him. He still needed to get out of there.

“I’ll stay out of your way, but I need some help first,” he interrupted the man's stride, turning and jogging after him, stopping the man by actually getting in his way and staring up at him as he stopped the other from walking any farther. _He was playing with fire with a man like this_ , “Where am I and how do I get out of here,” he asked firmly, half aware of the blonde that was standing just behind the much bigger man, arms crossed over his chest with a _previously_ disinterested stare.

“Come again,” humming in question, Terra quirked a brow. Had his question been misheard? The tone used with those two words, had what he said caught his attention? He seemed a tad more focused on the brunette after having spoken.

“I’m lost,” the warrior clarified, shrugging as if it were the norm. It wasn’t normal that _he’d_ get lost, but it shouldn’t have been all that strange. The look he was being given though, it gave him the impression that maybe it was. Even the blondes’ expression had shifted just slightly. He looked curious, eyes having more focus to them while they watched him.

“You don’t just _‘get lost’_ in a damn Mako Reactor,” and there was that name again, the guard had called it the same. Was it important? _Obviously, there had been guards and it was a restricted area._ So then... this was an infiltration group? They’d taken out the guards, they had weaponry to continue doing so to-... what?

“I’m not from here,” he shrugged while hoping that the excuse was accepted, guarding himself up with a firm and unreadable tone and expression. They weren’t meant to know about another world, but Terra had the same issue with this one, “I don’t know what a Mako Reactor is,” he couldn’t very well pretend if he had no idea of what or where or who or why... _and that was his disadvantage at that moment._

“Fool’s been livin’ under a rock his whole life,” the bigger man gestured to Terra with much the same attitude as earlier, as if he weren’t worth the time. Confirming his assumed opinion, he shoulder-barged him aside and headed towards the entrance.

“Can you help me, or not?” Terra called after him, staying put where he stood with a still solid expression. He didn’t like the feeling of growing anxiety in his chest, as if he were about to lose his chance in figuring his situation out.

“If you help us,” at that, his worry paused, Terra’s brow creasing in question as the stranger stopped on the top step and took a glance over his shoulder, glaring at the brunette with clear distrust on his face, “Stick with Stamp here and do what he does,” he ordered, emphasizing by pointing towards the blonde, who had just passed by him and stopped a few feet ahead with a soft growl-ish sigh leaving his lips.

For a lingering moment, nothing was said, the man having continued ahead with the other turning to stare at the brunette from over his shoulder, Terra feeling his guard involuntarily and fractionally falter at the calm intensity of his eyes. There was nothing hostile or violent in them, nothing that showed him to be a threat. The exact opposite of the gunman. They were weighed by something real like a man with a heavy past. It was intense and intimidating, something wise and experienced clear in them for the ones that could tell, even for such a young-looking face. _He must have seen a lot to have those eyes._

“Got a weapon?” the question drew him from his thoughts, Terra noting that he’d been analyzed with a much more serious and knowledgeable stare, far more intense than his own in regarding the blonde. _He really felt like a trainee again compared to this man._

He didn’t need to say anything, the look he was being given already confirmed that he knew he had no weapon with him. It was like the stranger was simply making sure so that he could do something about it.

Which he did, the moment Terra shook his head, the blonde reached down to the body that the girl had knocked out, retrieving the sword that had been sheathed since he ran into the guard only a few minutes ago. It was abruptly held out to him, the brunette eyeing it before lifting a hand and loosely gripping the handle. A grim realization came over him as he stared at the cleaned weapon, that if he was being given a sharpened _blade_ of all things, it meant that they expected him to use it, to cut down the ones they saw as the enemy. _He’d have to kill..._

“Use the flat of the sword if you can’t kill someone,” it was almost as if he’d read his mind. Lifting his eyes to the other, he watched as his back was turned to Terra, the blue gaze following his frame as he entered the building. He was surprised, standing there with his mouth falling open. He knew. He’d seen it? His thoughts having reached his features? Or was it a sixth sense for reading people?

Whatever the reason, the stranger knew that Terra couldn’t kill someone and wasn’t forcing him to as the bigger man probably would if he’d been the one to hand him the blade...

_Where was he? Where did the Master send him?_


	2. Chapter 2

He felt as though he were just following along without having to do much, being dragged along for the ride without any knowledge of where he was going. The moment he’d trotted after the blonde, he watched as the others stood patiently on either side of an opening farther ahead, the one leading him swiftly heading that way without hesitation.

Terra followed after him, being sure to keep a keen eye on him _and_ the security officers at the other end of the foyer. _Who’d seen them as they strode through the centre._

“Who in the hell-,” one of them aggressively started, immediately raising his weapon and cautiously darted towards them, the other following with his own gun lifting. The two filed through the ticket booths and quickly narrowed the distance.

“Hands where I can see ‘em!” the second snapped as they passed the walls that the others were hidden behind, the four slipping by and stealthily passing over the booths, the girl giving them a salute before following the others.

Terra didn’t understand why the blonde was left behind by them, not immediately, but if this was an infiltration mission as he’d assumed, then maybe he was the individual that took out the enemy that could follow after them?

Terra was abruptly snapped from his thoughts as a hand was firmly pressed against his chest and he was harshly pushed to the side, the brunette dropping into a roll and gracefully catching his footing in a crouch, only then realizing that they’d both narrowly avoided a round of bullets that had been aimed at them, the blonde evading and rushing at the guards. _He’d just saved him while Terra had been lost in thought._

“Stop thinking,” he scolded himself, his words being spoken under his breath before punching the side of his gloved fist against his head. Following the ‘get it together’ strike, he replaced his helmet over his skull, clicking it into place before climbing to his feet and joining the other man in the small battle, using the flat of the blade as rarely as possible and instead favouring his hand-to-hand skills, using the butt of the sword when necessary.

The two jumped the booths, the guards following with more appearing from the floor above, Terra almost felt as though he were being protected at one point, the blonde seemingly being sure that he was blocking bullets that the brunette might have taken while momentarily darting out of place to take one down, doing the same again and again while Terra knocked one out here and there.

Booting one of the men in the side and slamming a fist into the side of his face, the body dropping, he lifted his gaze just in time to see the blonde stranger block a spray of bullets with his massive sword and use that moment to strike as the guard was forced to reload, said officer yelping before being struck down with trained ease.

Catching something out of the corner of his eye, Terra jumped back, hand grabbing the edge of the rectangular pillar to help navigate behind it and around it. Appearing on the other side, he spun and slammed his knee into the guards spin, said guard dropping to his knees and giving the brunette the chance to grab the back of his helmet and harshly force his head into the pillar he’d used to shield himself.

Upon being sure that the other man was out for the count, he let his gaze drift to the blonde as he’d just gotten done himself, his own stare lifting to Terra and gesturing to the stairs as he darted that way, the brunette quickly joining him, following around the corner and up the stairs only a few feet behind him.

“What’re we meant to be doing?” he asked as they reached the top, the two eyeing the area cautiously before stepping out into the open space, jogging along the path to the curved entryway across the room.

“Fighting,” he replied flatly and bluntly, his tone even and unreadable. Frankly, he sounded bored, maybe disinterested. He wasn’t entirely sure. And if he were being honest, he’d expected some elaboration as the brunette gave him a quirked brow and a moment of silence as they stepped outside again, on the balcony above the train.

“No, I meant the mission,” Terra clarified, slowing down just as the other did upon seeing the group working the large doors at the very end of the path, one watching over the two while the _‘boss?’_ stood far off to the right.

“We need to find the Main Reactor,” another spoke in the blonde's place, said blonde having stayed silent. Terra let his gaze drift to the more chubby of the group, the man grinning towards them as they closed in and stopped only a few feet away.

“And?” the brunette asked, really wanting to understand what they were planning and how he could even help. From what he could see, the blonde had everything handled in what he was meant to be doing and Terra had just, _more than likely,_ got in the way and made it so his attention was split.

“And blow them,” the man of the two working on the doors replied, looking over his shoulder with a smirk and thumbs-up, “You got a name, Armour?” _Armour?_ He was already given a nickname based on his appearance then.

“Terra,” he replied simply, not really thinking much of it as this was simply an introduction. He didn’t feel like running around with them without them knowing his name either. _Though the nickname was somewhat decent and distinctive._

“That’s a bit girly,” the same man commented, _and that was another reason as to why he suddenly preferred them to use the given nickname._ He hoped that they’d call him that while they were here instead.

“No matter the name, you should’ve seen his face when we came in. He’s some real eye-candy. He might be on par with our SOLDIER,” hearing that, Terra grunted softly behind his mask, thankful that it was there as warmth gradually gathered in his cheeks, the brunette averting his gaze to the blondes back to avoid eye-contact, the girl having glanced over her shoulder to wink.

“What were you doing, anyway? Down there, I mean,” reluctantly looking towards the chubbier of the group, he’d noticed him gesture towards the railing, Terra just being able to see the top of the train. Had he referred to being there with the guards or being there in general? Either way, he had the most suspicious answer in his head. He couldn’t very well explain how he’d gotten there without revealing a portal or a fight with his Master.

“Not entirely sure myself,” he replied instead, his answering appearing to have caught a surprised reaction from each of them, save for the blonde and the boss. Terra lifted his gaze, noting the questioning and curious stare he was being given by the one only a foot ahead and to the side of him.

“You got a concussion or somethin’?” the man working on the door asked with a deadpanned tone, the warrior turning to him to see the invested look on his face, having stopped working for a moment until he was jabbed by the woman.

“Not that I’m aware of,” he shrugged in return, absentmindedly turning the hilt of the sword in his hand, itching for it to be his own weapon that only destroyed the darkness and could be used as a knock-out weapon in his situation.

“You just lost your memory?” the chubby man asked with a confused stare, his brows creased in question. He genuinely seemed to care and worry for him, and though it was thoughtful and heart-warming, this really wasn’t the time, and he felt bad, considering that he'd lied and knew how he’d come to be there. He just didn’t know why.

“It’s complicated to put into words,” he grumbled softly, a tad dejected and slight bit guilty that he was keeping the truth from them. But he had to, there was no way he could tell them. The rule was still in place that no one outside of his own world was meant to know about other worlds besides their own.

“Okay, guys,” looking over the mans’ shoulder, he saw the doors opening, the two filing through the moment they had space with the chubby man following behind almost immediately, waiting slightly longer before slipping through and jogging after the others.

Terra was about to follow until he saw the boss step ahead of them, staring into the new area before turning a glare on them, mostly on the blonde that didn’t seem bothered at all by the heavy scowl.

“You’d better be worth the money, merc. Every last gil,” the blonde was a hired hand? _Merc, a mercenary._ He gradually began to understand the distance between the man and the others and why he was the fighter while they all ran off ahead. That, and he now assumed that ‘gil’ was the currency-, “And you,” abruptly snapping from his thoughts, feeling the scowl bore through _himself_ now, he stared back, a frown hidden behind his helmet, “Mess up and you’re dead before we’re done,”

Being threatened so openly and grimly, Terra stayed silent, really not liking how verbally violently the man was, not needing it to be confirmed to understand that he would more than likely follow through on it, given the chance.

He watched as he scowled between them a moment longer, lingering before slowly turning away and following after his team. Terra waited, swallowing thickly and hearing a huff leave the blonde, the brunette glancing towards him to see the exasperation and restraint on his smooth and calm features. _He could see the twitch of tire on his face. Though, not tired as in wanting to sleep or having not had the hours he'd needed before this job._

“ _He’s_ a ray of sunshine,” Terra commented curtly and flatly just as the other man took the first few steps after the group, the brunette feeling victorious in hearing the very fine scoff that left the firmly stoic mans’ lips.

The two meandered after the others, their pace swift so that they didn’t lag too far behind, Terra keeping a short distance between himself and the blonde as they descended a ramp towards another open space with hanger doors left open at the other side.

He continued to follow the blonde along the open space, feeling a hand against his chest again to shove him. But this time it was to avoid a large dog, Terra immediately darting back as it apparently targeted _him._ Having a moment to look at it, he frowned in shock at its appearance, the tail seemingly attached to the back of its neck rather than its rear.

The warrior took a few careful steps back, his blade held firmly ahead of him. He didn’t want to actually cut down the creature. He loved dogs, _more than humans according to Aqua._

He swallowed, brow creasing in guilt right before it launched at him, Terra raising the sword and instinctively turning it flat on towards the dog as he swung, feeling the strike shake through the metal and his forearms as the surface of it slammed against the side of its head, the brunette darting aside, splaying a hand against the ground to cartwheel out of range and be sure that there was a decently safe distance between them.

Looking back, he saw the dog shaking its head while swaying slight on its feet, trying to gather its marbles that Terra had definitely batted it out its skull. It slowly turned on him again, the ferocity looking ten times the amount it had when ready to attack before.

Taking another few steps back as it started to narrow the distance, the warrior tightened his grip and aimed the tip of the blade as a warning, heavily reluctant to fight it but it didn’t seem bothered at all and simply continued forward with a chest vibrating growl, growing in volume.

Just then, his eyes caught the shine of the blondes blade coming down on the dog, slicing its side and leg before the man booted the dog aside and grabbed Terra by his shoulder-plate, dragging him along towards the doors and continuing towards a roofless lift to the right of the entrance, closing the gate along the way and slamming his gloved hand down on the button.

The lift jerked to life and gradually ascended, Terra feeling as though he could finally breathe, his heart hammering. He really couldn’t fight animals. He couldn’t hurt any creature unless it was truly a threat like the Unversed. Clearly, Aqua was definitely right about the fact that he preferred animals to humans. And due to that, the blonde had had to take it down along with the men that had appeared.

“Sorry about that,” he muttered as the lift finally stopped, the other gate flinging open with the mercenary giving his shoulder a pull before letting go, directing him along the catwalk the others must have run across.

“You like dogs,” he replied flatly as if that were reason enough, jogging along with the brunette close behind. Honestly, it almost felt like he was being forgiven for that fact alone and he really didn’t feel like he should have been with the situation that they were in. _That he was in._

“A friend says I love dogs more than people,” he replied thoughtfully, hoping that he could alleviate his own guilt for having had the man save him again. He owed him for the save and the shielding from bullets at the beginning... as well as giving him the idea of using the flat of the blade to avoid taking a life.

“Not a bad thing,” the blonde mentioned from slightly ahead, never looking over his shoulder as they proceeded to descend again towards the group near a hole in the fence, cut by either the girl or guy that opened the door before, “I don’t like people all that much either,”

Having heard that, Terra felt a smile grace his lips, the two slowing down as they reached the fence as well. Lifting his gaze to the blonde, he noted how duty-bound he appeared, his bright eyes staring over his shoulder towards where they’d come from only a moment ago. Following his gaze, the brunette eyed the area, seeing nothing.

“What’s your name?” the question seemed to have taken the man aback for a sliver of a second, his intense, though currently lively, eyes observing him with animated curiosity, Terra blinking in silence in return with a questioning tilt of his helmeted head.

“Cloud... Strife,” he finally replied, appearing hesitant for only a moment before he gestured to the fence, the brunette looking towards it and realizing that one of the men on the other side was waiting on the two fighters.

“You two can carry on with your lil' date later,” the other guy commented with a chuckle and wide smirk before jogging away just as Terra swiftly slipped through the hole. He stopped on the other side and waited, eyes widening the moment he saw men with guns running around the corner at the top of the ramp they’d come from before.

“Cloud!” he swiftly pointed towards them as the blonde had crouched to climb through, stopping short and returning to stand with his hand raising for his massive swords’ hilt.

“Keep going. I’ll catch up,” the man assured, effortlessly lifting the weapon from his back and frowning over his shoulder when Terra didn’t leave as requested, having actually been planning to join in as he had been since meeting the team, “Get going!” the tone he’d used was barely any louder than his usual tone, but the firmness in it, the clear command and authority, it made him waver. _It reminded him of his own Master when he'd chosen to be firmer, if one of them hadn't listened the first time._

Huffing heavily, Terra reluctantly turned away and started jogging in the direction he’d seen the others go, following whatever path he'd assumed they’d taken after that.


	3. Chapter 3

Not that he could have gotten lost at any point between the fence and that massive lever-door, but he apparently tried to, having looked every which way just to be safe and almost actually going in one of those directions if not for the straightforward paths where he could see the group running far ahead.

Eventually, he caught up, slipping through the big lever-door just before it closed on him, narrowly avoiding getting caught between them in what he feared would one of many ends to a line. Though maybe his armour was actually strong enough to withstand the pressure of the doors. _He didn’t want to test it though._

“Nice timing, Armour,” _Biggs?_ Complimented with a thumbs-up as Terra jogged towards the group at a crossroad on the wide catwalk. He wouldn’t say that they seemed frantic, more excited rather. The girl appeared downright giddy as they continued down the walkway, but then abruptly slowed as the boss saw that they were down a man.

“Where’s SOLDIER boy!” the big guy called out aggressively, glaring over his large shoulder at the brunette. He couldn’t actually see the eyes behind the glasses, but the rest of his facial features said it all. He was really being scowled at.

“Some guards stopped him at the cut-out in the fence. He told me to go on ahead,” and _reluctantly,_ he had due to the seriousness in the mans’ tone and posture. He really felt like a shot-caller, much like his Master, but with a different feel and atmosphere.

“I told you to do what he does!” the bigger man snapped, abruptly stopping and grabbing him by the top of his chest plate, dragging him closer and scowling deeply, hot anger coming off of him in waves as Terra refrained from breaking the hold the man had on him. He didn’t want to screw anything up here, not when he actually needed the help he’d get in exchange for joining these... rebels? But being told to follow the blonde and the blonde giving him an order, he obeyed and hadn’t done anything he shouldn’t have yet!

“And he told me to go on ahead-,” Terra retorted tightly, struggling a little due to his position. He felt too light, the balls of his armoured shoes being the only thing touching the ground at that moment, “I obeyed an order!” he barked a little, seeing the tough tension build in the other man, just as he lifted him up off of the ground and seemed as though he were about to toss him aside.

“Put him down or I’m done,” Terra paused in his struggles, angling his head to look over his shoulder towards the man in question, the blonde standing there with his arms crossed and looking perfectly fine as if he hadn’t just taken on a bunch of men and ran after them to catch up. His eyes though, they were back to heavy and intense, staring the bigger man down by the direction and weight of his gaze. A long moment followed where nothing was said, the others gradually becoming edgy and frantic as they were falling behind on time.

“He’s worth losin’ your gil, huh,” the big guy huffed, half amused and half agitated by what had been unfolding, and his grip briefly tightened on Terra’s chest plate before he was roughly dropped, the brunette managing to land on his feet, “Whatever,” another long moment stretched, the other three starting to get moving, one going off to the left.

“What are we waiting for,” the blonde asked drily and rhetorically, already making a move towards the towering, cylindrical building ahead of them. Terra was struck with awe, lingering before he felt the tug on his chest plate, immediately following the arm up to the blondes face before he started jogging away.

He swiftly followed after him, everyone starting to really pick up the pace now that the moment had passed and they could get back to their jobs. He stuck close to Cloud, his gaze drifting between the path ahead and the larger man gradually pulling away.

Before they knew it, they were running into the interior, a more technological security protected door being their first obstacle upon entering the building. _Though it didn’t seem to worry any of them._ Gradually coming to a stop beside the blonde, he watched as Biggs stepped up to the keyboard, already going about messing with the device. _He assumed that the other was hacking, Terra vaguely remembering Mr Jumba doing something similar with a keyboard back on that alien space ship._

Biting his lip momentarily, he could hear and see the bigger man pacing, keeping his gaze sharp as he continuously glanced towards the area they came from. Terra left his gaze drift to the _SOLDIER?_ Beside him, blinking at him and analyzing him. The man barely knew him and yet he hadn’t denied the accusation that he’d throw his cut of the cash away for the brunette. He had to doubt that he would. He really didn’t appear to be the type to do that if he were really a mercenary.

“You’re staring,” Terra refrained from flinching, his eyes blinking wider before he abruptly glanced away, arms lifting to cross in a self-defensive way and eyes downcast to avoid everyone else’s. The silence lingered for a while longer before he swallowed and leaned just slightly closer in order to talk with a hushed tone.

“Don’t go throwing away your percentage just because he has it out for me,” he suggested firmly, gaze lifting a little but to see that the blonde was now staring back at him, his expression unreadable, “You don’t have to protect me,” the brunette added, not feeling bad or as if it were out of pity, but he didn’t want to ruin that mans’ chances of getting his pay simply because the leader didn’t like him.

“I don’t like bullies,” the other muttered flatly and bluntly, Terra frowning and blinking in question behind his helmet, “That’s all there is to it,” _that was really it? He just didn’t like bullies?_ Yes, Terra could understand it, that he’d probably react the same if it were Ven or even Aqua getting the same treatment, but they were friends, family even. Cloud and himself knew nothing about one another and even less, could call themselves friends. _Acquaintances, maybe at a stretch._

The way it was put, the tone he’d used, it was as resolved as before, only softer as the man regarded Terra this time, the brunette’s posture slouching some as if surrendering to his made-up mind.

“SOLDIERs may attack on command,” the leaders’ voice picked up, directed at the blonde and drawing both fighters’ attention, “-but I hear they make good guard dogs too. Bet _you_ seen a few reactors,” tilting his head, lost with the lack of understanding, Terra glanced between Cloud and the boss, noting the instant tension in the blondes posture, “So how do we get to the bridge above Mako storage?” silence followed, the warrior flicking his gaze back to the other.

“Ain’t holding out on me, are you? Stamp scared to bite the hand that fed him? Or is he a loyal lil’ doggie?!” the larger man snapped and he then saw it, a struggle, something conflicting on his face like pain but being fought against by his stoicism the need to stay calm, “Have it your way, mutt!” as if the boss hadn’t seen it, Terra watched as the hand of the blonde shot up to his head, a grimace and harsh hiss breaking between his lips and under his breath, pain seemingly shooting across his features, “We can do this _with_ you, or we can do this _without_ you!”

And again, silence followed, the man huffing and stepping away like he was done with the conversation. Reaching out hesitantly, Terra let his hand rest against the other mans’ shoulder, just barely catching the well-hidden flinch that rose from his solid form. He caught the brief flicker in his gaze towards the armoured warrior, the brunette tilting his head as if to ask if he were alright without voicing it. In return, no words were given to reassure him, only a quick nod, the blondes’ hand lowering as whatever pain he’d felt ebbed.

“Different reactor, different layout. Depends when it was built,” Cloud breathed out, Terra noting the familiar calm and easy composure that returned to him and feeling thankful that whatever had shaken him for the moment appeared to have passed swiftly, “Never seen one like this, but I’ll manage,” he mentioned with his gaze eyeing the area they were in.

_Thinking about it and what had been said up until now, it all gave Terra the impression that Cloud was something of a rebellious man, one who’d diverted from the course he’d been on. The loyal doggie and biting the hand that fed him talk, and the mention of a soldier and the whole reactor layout thing. Had he originally worked for the people that built these or owned them? Was he rebelling against them and helping the enemy take them down?_

_Not that he saw their situations as all that alike, but he could say that they were cut from a similar cloth. Only Terra hadn’t rebelled, he’d simply been led astray by... by who? A Master? A Manipulator? A Marionette Master, and Terra was the puppet... Either way, they were on the other end of where they were previously, seemingly revolted and disserted. ‘If that were the case with the other. For all he knew, Cloud had done this on purpose, rebelled and became a mercenary simply to do this’._

Shaking his head of the unhelpful thoughts, Terra growled under his breath and tightened his arms over his chest, metal creaking together in the quiet and unintentionally drawing the blonde's gaze, said blonde blinking at him.

“Almost...” the man at the keyboard hummed softly, everyone gradually getting closer to the door, “In three, two... Damn, I’m good!” just as the doors opened, he felt a shove to his back and a ‘get going’ from the leader, Terra looking back with a glare after having been pushed into the room ahead, Cloud following behind with a sigh.

“Door!” someone snapped, the brunettes’ gaze snapping towards the upper right of the room to see more guards with guns. Swiftly flicking his gaze back over his shoulder he saw that the girl had reacted and pulled Cloud out of the way just as the doors were about to slam shut on him, the boss yelling a loud “Wait!” before it closed completely.

“It’s over!” he returned his stare up to the other end of the room, counting the heads behind his tinted visor as the men spread out, “He’s alone! We can take him!” another yelled as the red bleep on the computer confirmed that the door behind Terra had relocked. He quickly came up with a plan, one that could help him. They already thought that he was planning to fight, so to throw them off-...

The brunette dropped his sword and raised his hands, the men faltering and ‘Uh’ and ‘huh?’ ing at him, sharing a quick look between each other before one of them gestured forward. Terra left his sword there and slowly made his way towards them, and just as he reached the ramp to the slightly higher platform, the man reaching out for his helmet with caution and hesitation, the warrior slammed a fist into the man's face and flexibly turned to knee the other closer to his left in the stomach. Narrowly avoiding bullets from the third on his far-right, he kicked off of the ground and landed another blow.

Strike after strike and barely managing to not get injured himself, he panted, standing in the centre of the upper platform, hands resting on his hips with two groaning bodies and one knocked out, his boot on one of the ones still somewhat awake, keeping him against the ground with the guns out of reach. Hearing a whoosh behind him, he took a glance over his shoulder just as the others filed into the room, looking between the men on the floor and the sword that was more than a dozen or so feet away from him.

“We’re back!” the girl beamed, jogging across the room and patting him on the shoulder on her way to the next terminal. Terra turned away and meandered down the ramp for his sword, passing by an intrigued boss who stared at him and said nothing. _He looked at him as if the brunette was suspicious._

“You don’t need protection,” he heard Cloud mutter as he got closer, Terra reaching down to grab his borrowed blade and turning it in his hand, eyeing it with distaste before lifting his hidden gaze to the other, a smirk on his lips.

“Thought I couldn’t defend myself?” the brunette played coy, resting his free hand against his hip while cocking his head to the side, making it obvious that he was just playing. He was in a far better mood, probably from having let loose on the guards and feeling satisfied that he hadn’t killed anyone or pissed anyone off, like the boss. He hadn’t said anything on the way passed and even Cloud seemed impressed.

“No,” Terra’s eyes narrowed on the very well hidden amusement, a faint smirk trying to draw at the corner of his lips, “You seemed to avoid fighting as much as possible,” more of a statement than anything else and Terra nodded along with it. He didn’t like fighting other humans, no matter the world. Unversed, he could take care of in his sleep, but people?

“That’s because I don’t know what’s going on or who the bad guys are,” the brunette shrugged, having had to piece together most of everything that had been happening since meeting the group, most of which was related to Cloud, but he seemed to be the only one giving him something to work with, be it intentional or otherwise.

“So you’re the hero type?” humming softly, Terra refocused, having registered the question, or _rhetorical question._ Eyeing him, he could see something there, something faintly akin to sad nostalgia, a wall being in the way between himself and that nostalgia.

“I thought I was,” the brunette shrugged, shaking his head some as his mind took him back to the old face of the man that ruined them, manipulated him and turned everyone against each other... using Terra as his damned puppet, “I was led to believe I was doing good, but...” he trailed off, gaze lowering to the ground as he was then reminded of his mentor, his Master, and his last-ditch effort to save his foolish pupil.

“You were betrayed,” the blonde realized, Terra nodding and sighing heavily. He figured that given the chance, he’d try to set things right, but then... he was stuck in a world without his powers, without the means of getting out of there and without the help he’d need. And all because he was an idiot and blindly followed the darkness. _The darkness that was and nurtured._

“I was a pawn,” Terra grumbled, jaw tightening, his fists’ grip on his sword becoming white-knuckled, “I fought my Master and he saved me,” though that wasn’t what he was angry about, it shouldn’t have happened. _He shouldn’t have raised his Keyblade to him!_ Yes, it was to save Ven but they could’ve talked it through!

Feeling a hand weigh on his shoulder plate, he lifted his gaze, locking with a bright blue and teal. They were soft, incredibly so, and still nostalgic with sadness and maybe even mourning. He understood it, felt it bubbling freshly in his invisible wounds.

“It gets easier,” the words were said with a tone similar to the expression in his eyes and Terra couldn’t help swallow against the dryness, sniffing gently and trying to not be drowned in that stare. He felt as if he were looking in a mirror a few years into the future.

“Which part?” he croaked deeply, still watching the glint and feeling the pressure on his shoulder get lightly, but not the physical one of his hand. He felt as if he was sharing his burden.

“The betrayal and loss,” the blonde replied, letting his hand slip from Terra’s shoulder, the brunette nodding slowly, hoping that that was the truth, praying for it since what he felt was a gaping hole in his chest, in his heart. He thought that he couldn’t take it, couldn’t live with it and it was still there, urging him to stew in that negativity, the same negativity that would raise his darkness and he couldn’t. He refused to let it grow any more.

He didn’t want to let it devour him as it had almost already done prior. It’d gotten enough people hurt.

“And we’re good,” gradually lifting his gaze, his eyes fell on the open doors, the girl and the boss stepping through with Biggs standing aside. He then let his stare drift to Cloud, seeing the gesture towards the next room.

Terra took a deep breath and puffed his chest, giving a firmer nod before taking the few steps towards the next area, ready to get this done and find a way home.


	4. Chapter 4

Terra watched as the large gunman, whose _name he’d found out was Barret,_ paced the width of the elevator, his bright blue eyes followed the overly extra man and his constant guarded and angry looking disposition. He was careful whenever the man glanced their way, averting his eyes despite the fact no one could see behind the tinted visor.

Having chanced a look beside him, he’d seen the apparent boredom on the blonds’ face, his posture, his expression, _or lack thereof._ It was exactly similar to his reaction during the threats after reaching the first floor above the train tracks.

“This pumps sole purpose is to drain the planet dry,” the leader of the group had finally spoken above the silence, Terra’s attention shifting, “While you sleep, while you eat, while you shit! It’s here, suckin’ up Mako!” he boomed loudly, his words deafening in such an enclosed space, “It doesn’t rest and it doesn’t care!” he’d seemed to have eased for a moment, his gaze slowly drifted and paused on him, “You DO realize what Mako is, don’t you?” _He was afraid that if he’d answered that, Terra would have definitely been interrogated. It seemed to be common knowledge._

“Mako is the lifeblood of our world. The planet bleeds green like you and me bleed red!” the man snapped, fisting the air with a growl. He’d felt the hard stare, the brunette having been able to feel it through the glasses and his helmet before it shifted to the blonde as he’d scoffed softly, though the bigger man hadn’t seemed to hear it or had simply ignored it.

“The hell you think’s gonna happen when it’s all gone?! Answer me!” he’d snapped towards them, watching each of them with his angry eyes, “You gonna stand there and pretend you can’t hear the planet crying out in pain?! I know you can!” _Barret_ had continued, thrusting his fist out with his finger firmly pointed at the SOLDIER to Terra’s left.

A long moment had passed with silence lingering between them, Cloud having appeared to fallen even farther into his lacklustre atmosphere by the time light puff left his nose and he boredly asked-.

“You really hear that...?” the dubiousness and exasperated disbelief had been evident and obvious, the blonde really not buying what the man had been selling. _Though again, that hadn’t seemed to bother the much larger man as he bumped his chest with his fist._

“Damn straight I do!” he’d sounded so proud of it and for all Terra knew, he might have been able to listen and hear it. He really had no idea what the speech had been about nor did he understand a word of it. _He’d have to ask Cloud to translate for him._

“Get help,” the blonde suggested curtly and glanced away, Terra having heard the gasp on his other side from the girl while he flickered his gaze between the two, the bigger of them growling from registering the reply.

“Say that again!” Barret boomed as he got right up in the SOLDIERs’ face with said SOLDIER not appearing bothered at all by his heavy retort and angered outburst. Terra looked to the girl, _Jessie,_ having got a nervous shrug in return. He shook his head and returned his stare to the two.

“This really isn’t the time-,” he’d started calmly but was cut off, hands raised swiftly in an attempt to both defend himself and the situation.

“You shut up! You’re not one of us!” the man had suddenly turned on _him_ , Terra’s hands raised higher while he stayed put, not giving him the satisfaction of his wariness and caution making him take a step back.

“Neither am I,” Cloud spoke up from where stood, having drawn the larger mans’ attention back towards him. _To save the brunette from his anger, he didn’t know,_ “I’d worry less about the planet and more about the next five seconds. Save the screaming for later,” only a moment after that the elevator had shaken slightly, the doors gradually opened. And thankfully, with no enemies waiting for them.

A few long, lingering seconds had passed by before Barret had abruptly turned away and practically stomped out of the moving box, Terra having let out a sigh of relief. He’d flinched a little when a hand brushed his arm, the brunette taking a glance to his side to see Jessie stood there with a smile.

“I think he likes you,” the _obvious_ joking tone had been _too_ obvious. He gave her a deadpanned stare from behind his helmet, his posture also conveyed it.

“If that’s the attitude he has with people he likes, I wouldn’t want to see what he’s like with people he hates,” Terra stated with his gloved hand rubbing the back of his neck, the brunette followed after the blonde as he stepped out of the elevator, looking as calm as ever.

Having kept close to the other, he paused alongside him as the other glanced at the ‘Utility Access’ sigh pinned to the wall beside the moving box that had taken them there. It was an open area, a walkway somewhat fenced off with large generator, or something, built against the wall, also fenced off-,

“Our lives are on the line now,” the dead seriousness of Barret’s tone caught his attention and drew Terra’s eyes to him, the brunette not liking the dangerous stare he’d pinned both him and Cloud with as he stepped up beside them, “You listenin’?! One false move...” he trailed off, a moment later Terra legitimately flinched as bullets were shot directly in front of their faces and being aimed upwards.

“That happens,” he flinched a second time when a sentry gun hit the ground with a loud clang and clutter. And Cloud didn’t seem bothered at all by the man or machine that had hit the floor directly beside them.

“So much for having you guys do all the fighting. Guess there are places a sword just can’t reach,” he heard Jessie comment before she lifted herself from where she’d been leaning on the fence and skipped her way back towards them with a smile, “Just bear with him, boys... For me?” a pause followed, Terra taking a glance towards the bigger guy along with Cloud as Barret lifted his weaponized arm with a smug grin.

“I should’ve asked for more money,” the SOLDIER deadpanned before walking off ahead, Terra standing there lost for a moment with the other two. He lingered awhile and abruptly followed after him again as he turned the corner, the brunette narrowly avoiding a blast from one of the other two sentries that had apparently targeted _him_ instead of the one that had stepped out first.

He’d only just darted aside when he’d heard one of them fire and then saw it coming. It’d helped a great deal when Barret had shoved him aside to avoid the second sentries shot, Terra getting out of the way completely and following after Cloud still as he’d trotted off after Jessie for the lower level, leaving Barret to deal with the hard to reach sentries.

“D’you still want to be a hero?” Terra lifted his gaze to the blonde after the question, the brunette ‘huh’ing softly in question as he processed his words and honestly, it took him a while to even answer since he really had no idea at that point. He didn’t have his weapon, his abilities, his light or even the darkness, the latter of which he was extremely relieved about. But... boiling down to it... given the chance...

“I don’t know anymore,” he answered in a mutter, gaze lowering in thought of if he could even be one after what had happened, “I’m pretty lost at the moment,” before the fight with his Master, before being taken under Master Xehanort’s wing and before even leaving the Land of Departure.

He was naive, a child, a young man with dreams of becoming a Master himself, taking a path that clearly had enough bumps in the road that it led him elsewhere. And that road... it’d almost led him completely astray if not for Master Eraqus giving him directions. _He hoped that those directions would lead him back to where he wanted to be._

“You’ve gotta set your heart free,” Terra abruptly paused halfway down the steps, frowning behind his visor at the blonde that had continued forward, “If you want to be a hero, you’ve gotta have dreams,” familiar... everything that Cloud had said sounded so familiar and that first part. Hadn’t the kid from Olympus said it while being controlled by Hades?

“Timed lasers, guys,” he heard Jessie call out as the SOLDIER reached the bottom step, looking back up at him with a soft, questioning frown on his face. It took the brunette a few lingering seconds before he managed to force himself to move forward and down the rest of the staircase, Barret catching up behind them.

“That first part, I’ve heard it before,” _very recently, in fact._ He thought back to the arena in the Coliseum, having been going through match after match until he’d reached the last match, an unfair match thanks to Hades’ intervening and manipulation of his opponent.

“My mentor always used to say it. Said that the first time he used the phrase, it was to the man that ended up saving him and he’s used it ever since,” Cloud shrugged with his explanation, the two taking the first few steps through the very first laser wall and continuing on to the second without issue, “It was like a lucky-quote to him,”

“I actually saved a guy that said it too,” Terra replied. Really thinking about it, it’d be the exact same wording if not for the ‘Set _your_ heart free’, rather than ‘Set _my_ heart free’. He almost felt like it could’ve been the same person that they were talking about, “He was being controlled and we were forced to fight,”

“That... sounds a lot like what happened with my mentor when he was younger,” he glanced to the side as Cloud appeared to do the same, the two staring at each other with an obvious questioning glint. If he didn’t know any better, which he didn’t since he didn’t really know the other man, he’d say that Cloud was considering the coincidence.

“It does?” he’d be lying if he’d said that he wasn’t considering it either. It was really suspect. Terra strode through the last of the lasers on that level along with the blonde, following him down towards the next level with obvious thought on their features. _Though Terra’s were still hidden by his helmet._

“You weren’t in some kind of training arena and were fighting in matches, were you?” _that..._ Now that definitely caught his attention after passing through the first set of lasers, the brunette pausing between the first and second beams to watch the other closely, his brow knitting together. Did he know Zack?

“I was,” mildly shaken by the potential connection and surprised as the other really appeared to have the same knowledge of that day, he started forward, gaze still on the man-. Said man abruptly grabbed him by the neck of his base-layer, dragging him backwards until he was unbalanced and standing beside the SOLDIER again, a look of _actual_ surprise on his usually blank features.

“You’re _that_ Terra,” even the blondes’ tone sounded a tad different, more dreamy and nostalgic with a side of confirmed realization, “ _His_ Hero. You must’ve been a kid when you saved him,” _his hero?_ If this was the Zack he knew then this was the world he’d come from? _No-, wait..._ It’d only been a few hours ago, if that, that he’d saved him from Hades and Cloud was talking as if this were an old story like a tale told over the years. And then there was the clear age difference between Cloud and Zack and the fact that Cloud had mentioned that Terra must have been a kid when...

“Zack’s your mentor?” his brain asked instead of the plethora of confused, mix and lost questions that were flying around inside of his mind. Really, the first and last time Terra had seen him, Zack was younger than him and definitely younger than this blonde and yet, he was a mentor? A young prodigy maybe? ... No, the kid was in training.

“So you _did_ know him,” from the tone, Cloud had simply voiced his thoughts, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. It was the wording, it sounded wrong. _Very_ wrong. He stared for a long, hard moment before tilting his head in the mans’ direction.

“Did?” and there it was, something he hadn’t expected. Cloud had stiffened and clenched his jaw, Terra quirking a questioning brow under his helmet and the way he tried to hide the gradual growth of sheepishness... Terra reached up and lifted his helmet off, staring at him with concern building in his expression. He felt something sink in his stomach as the blonde averted his gaze the moment the brunettes’ blue eyes were uncovered.

“Cloud?” something dark and sad could be seen so briefly, a flicker and it was gone. A grim feeling had grown in his chest, his blood dropping in temperature. He didn’t like it, the ache of apprehension starting to scratch beneath his skin.

“I’ll explain after we get out of here. This isn’t the time for distractions,” cloud suddenly rushed out and skipped through the lasers, leaving Terra there for a long, lingering moment in the silence. He didn’t like whatever had just happened. He felt as though he was missing something but he felt of though he knew what it was and didn’t want to acknowledge it. He knew that face.


	5. Chapter 5

Terra looked down at the wreckage of the Sweeper before taking a glance towards his sword, really debating whether he’d actually had any effect on it when Cloud had been the one to deal the serious damage. Had he even dented it with such a weak weapon? _And had he known that they could use magic in this world, he’d have attempted it before joining them instead of looking like an idiot and trying it during the battle._ Though thankfully, none of them had seen his attempt. But it only confirmed that he’d really lost his abilities.

And not only that, it seemed that even his armour had lost its power. Glancing around, he saw the state of the side and visor from where he’d left it. The dents, the scrapes of the hit he’d managed to take and immediately return from to fight back. So it wasn’t only him that lost power. His armour had been affected as well, like it was a part of him.

“And here I was thinkin’ that what happened before was a fluke,” Barret’s voice broke him from his thoughts, Terra turning to look up at the man, “Who trained you, huh?” had the man actually been paying attention to him? Granted, he still had his reflexes and fighting style, but the sword was no Keyblade.

“Master Eraqus,” he replied simply, mind wandering to the fight they’d had for only a moment as the sounds of the doors parting had caught his attention. He swallowed and followed after the three as they stepped through the threshold and made their way down the hall.

“Who’s that? He some kind of big-shot?” the large man asked rhetorically as he jogged along, Terra keeping pace with Cloud who was only slightly farther by a few feet and making it seem far more effortless than it felt for the brunette.

“He’d have to be if he’s a Master, right?” Jessie called out from ahead with a smile, already accepting the response without any waver or hesitation in her reply. It really seemed as though she weren’t questioning any part of his story so far.

“He’s one of three Masters, and he trained me and two others,” Terra replied to that, happy enough to carry on talking, though not wanting to reveal anything that they shouldn’t know. It wasn’t as though revealing who his trainer was would affect anything, not at this point and being that this was a different world, it made no difference.

Though it... Terra would have liked to have learned more about him, about his past, his family, the reason why he thought to take the brunette in and train him. _He raised Terra, made him strong, built his strength and will until he’d almost reached his Mark of Mastery-._

“With _that_ face, I’d say he was more than just your Master,” the girl commented, the brunette realizing that his thoughts must have appeared on his face for her to say that and for a split second, his cheeks warmed. He’d never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve during a mission, so this was new.

“He raised me,” he’d explained, the group appearing to slow as they reached the doors at the very end of the hall, said doors parting like the ones they’d already passed through. They opened into a cleared, square room, no doors between the threshold ahead and farther into a _much larger_ room, a very green-tinted one.

“So he’s basically your father,” Jessie shrugged, her arms crossing over her chest as she strolled into the other room. Terra though, he’d momentarily faltered in his step, his boot scraping the floor. It had never been said aloud like that and it only made it more real that he’d fought the man despite the strong connection. _A fight that he’d debatably won but was saved by... that led to the man’s-..._ “And what’s with _that_ face?” again, having been in his thoughts, he broke from them and shook his head.

“It’s nothing,” he avoided their eyes, both hers and Clouds’ as Barret didn’t seem bothered at all as he continued forward and towards the ladder to their left. The blonde had been quiet, but he could tell that he’d been putting the piece together. He knew a little more than the others did about him and his Master.

He chanced a glance, regretting it when he saw that he really was being regarded by him, but with something extra in his gaze, something Terra couldn’t really pinpoint or decipher.

“That’s our target. The Reactor Core,” his attention having shifted slightly, Terra made his way over to where the girl was standing near the railings, “We’ve gotta set the bomb at the bottom,” staring, _gawking,_ the brunette’s lips parted, eyes growing wide in awe at the interior. The sight was incredible. It was such a long way down, the green hues of the room being lit by what he could only describe as shining green pools at the very base of the room, walkways and catwalks lining the walls and the centre of the bottom of the room. The Reactor Core sat on the very end of the bottom walkway.

“C’mon,” perking up to Cloud’s voice, he turned to look over his shoulder towards the man, the brunette leaving the railing and following after him down the ladder. That, he could manage, the quick slide down with only his hands and boots keeping him attached to it along the way. The moment he reached the bottom of it, he just barely managed to hide the flinch upon hearing a crash of metal, snapping his gaze around to see the blonde breaking these metal crates and picking up these glowing, smoky balls.

He watched for a few seconds longer as the man turned around and handed one of the greener ones out to him, Terra staring at it with a look of loss and confusion.

“They help replenish health, mana, stamina, you name it,” the brunette nodded slowly, surprised. They couldn’t cura themselves here? _No-_ , his own world and the worlds he’d been to had potions, so maybe this was similar? “Figured you could hang onto it just in case,” at that, he blinked in question.

“In case of what?” he asked with slight suspicion edging his tone. He didn’t know the man at all, but from what he’d seen so far, he wasn’t a ‘just in case’ type of person. He was smarter than that, expected as much and knew what he was doing. Considering that to be the case, Cloud was expecting something, he had to be and was preparing Terra.

“Just in case,” the blonde repeated, shoving it into his hands before passing him by and heading down the walkway after the other two. Terra glanced between the misty ball and the man, clenching his jaw and anticipating something now that this little scene was over with. He sighed and followed after him, catching up easily.

“Makes sense why you’re conflicted,” the brunette hummed in question, lost again due to the statement being so abrupt and random. There was a moment where he saw some recognition cross his features, but it was just barely seen as a mask was put in place, a facade to distance them, “You fought your Master, the man that raised you, and he saved you,”

Terra could sometimes be slow when it came to picking up on motives and agenda, his blind trust in a man like Master Xehanort being a great and terrible proof of that, but he could see the way the blonde had attempted to direct the conversation and his attention.

“If we’re going to talk about that, can it be after you explain what you think’s going to happen?” Terra asked straightforwardly as they turned the corner to head for a lower platform that the other two were standing on, the blonde grumbling softly in return to his question, “You’re not the _‘just in case’_ type, in my opinion,” the brunette added quietly as they descended the steps and joined Barret and Jessie.

He felt as if he should have asked sooner, Terra watching as Cloud turned away and seemingly got distracted by what was below them so as to avoid replying to the brunette. He’d definitely bring that up later, given the chance.

“My heart’s pounding like a jackhammer!” Barret chuckled as he leaned towards the edge of the railings and peered directly down to see the base of the room. He appeared far more energetic than before.

“Scared, huh?” he heard the blonde mutter in return, flatly teasing the other man who simply scoffed and headed towards the ladder, turning around to lower himself down it. Terra followed as Cloud went to do the same, stopping short and abruptly turning around to face the brunette with a firm stare, pinning him in place.

“Stay here with Jessie,” he deadpanned, Terra, stiffening at the solid request. He’d opened his mouth to protest almost immediately, a hand being held in front of his face stopping him in his tracks, “We’ll set the bomb and come back, that’s it,” that most certainly was not _it!_ He could feel it. The man was stopping him from following for a reason.

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re benching me?” the brunette huffed, arms crossing loosely over his chest with an exasperated stare being aimed at the other man, said man shrugging as he turned away and climbed over the edge of the platform and onto the ladder.

“I’m not,” was the last thing he’d said before disappearing over the edge and descending quickly, to avoid any further conversation and protest. He had many on the tip of his tongue ready to be said if he hadn’t left so swiftly.

“Liar,” he muttered, sighing heavily and letting his gaze follow the blonde as he darted along the catwalk after Barret and then farther along until they found another ladder. They were both pretty fast about getting to the very base of the place, Terra being mildly impressed. _If Cloud were a Keybearer, he’d have made Mark of Mastery before any of them, he’d bet._

“Look on the Brightside. You have _me_ for company,” he let a soft smile grace his lips at that, his eyes never leaving the two as they made it to the very bottom, jogging their way across towards the centre, “Can feel it too, right?” at that, his gaze snapped towards her, a questioning expression on his face.

“I feel a warning in the air. This was too easy,” she shrugged, Terra wordlessly agreeing with her, a nod being sent her way. He didn’t like it and didn’t want to feel it, but after she’d mentioned her worry, he couldn’t ignore it. It was strong in the atmosphere, like a pre-emptive red light being shown, giving them a heads up.

Terra swallowed against his dry throat, eyes following the two as they made it to the very end, Barret holding out this rectangular device that he’d assumed was the bomb, saying something and being replied to, the response appearing to dissatisfy him as he yelled another sentence. Cloud reached out on the way passed and grabbed the bomb, placing it down, and that warning in Terra’s mind only grew as he’d been about to press a button on the device.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter, I know.  
> The fight scene's coming up next and I'm not the best with them, so I'll be working on it for the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind the typos or mistakes if/when you find any. I was really excited for this chapter and couldn't wait. Did my best to find the mistakes though.

The moment it appeared that Cloud had felt something, Terra did too, a sharp frown marring his features with tension abruptly building in his solid posture. He could _hear_ something, _feeling_ it in the air.

Time moved faster after that, the brunette watching as the blonde left the bomb and raised a hand to the hilt of his weapon, Barret aiming his weapon arm at the man and accusing him of double-crossing him from what he’d just managed to hear.

_And then it was there!_

Terra’s eyes snapped around just as something huge launched overhead, his gaze widening greatly. Instinct forced him to reach for Jessie, dropping them both to the floor as the thing hit the railing on the way passed and landed heavily against the ground way below them.

“Guys!” he’d heard her shout, the two getting back up with the girl moving faster and reaching for the bent railing. Terra joined her, staring down at the immediate fight that began. Cloud was striking around the back and sides, Barret staying farther back with his missiles and bullets being sent its way. And it was sending its own back, an array of them being directed and fired with the two narrowly missing them and evading as best they could-.

His grip tightened on the bent bar with his heartbeat violently stuttering when the giant sentinel aimed its gun directly at the blonde and sent out these flaming rounds, the things landing too close for his liking until one actually hit him-, _his blade._ Cloud had used his sword to block it before darting around to its backside again.

“We have to help them! C’mon-,” the moment he’d heard her, Terra darted after her, grabbing her by her bicep, worry and concern having forced his movements to try and stop her.

“Wait! Jessie!” he called as she tried to get out of his hold, struggling to reach the ladder to get down there. No matter her strength, that thing was giving those two a run for their money. There was no way she’d be able to even dent that thing.

“Let go! We need to help!” she yelled, still trying to fight his vice-like grip. He really didn’t want her getting involved. She’d get hurt, she’d be a distraction. Sure she could fight, but that thing wasn’t a person, it didn’t know hand-to-hand combat. He was more than sure that she wasn’t trained to fight something like that.

“We’ll get in the way!” Terra countered, keeping her in place with almost as much of a struggle as she was giving, her other hand reaching up to tightly clench around his wrist, pulling and twisting in an attempt to loosen the restraint, “They know what they’re doing! Cloud knew this was coming!” he tried, succeeding in stopping her. She was instantly focused, her attention solely fixed on the brunette who was gazing at her with well-hidden concern.

“He did?!” Jessie asked loudly, her voice echoing some. From what he could tell, Terra had been the only one to realize that Cloud must have known this would happen.

“Yes! He said something earlier that gave me the impression that he knew that there’d be a fight,” the brunette rushed out, still holding her in place, but with less of a harsh grip since she appeared stuck in place due to his information.

“But-,” she stopped, her gaze drifting to the fight upon hearing what he could imagine was Barret hitting hit by the thing, “They need help, Terra!” she stated firmly pushing against him with her hands now gripping his forearms, her eyes pleading.

“We can’t fight that,” he couldn’t see them having any effect on that sentinel. They’d only be in the way if they tried. But then, they could find something that might? What If they dropped something heavy on it? Buckled a leg or something, “Maybe... uh...” he glanced around, heart hammering in his chest while he eyed everything that could have a decent amount of weight to it-.

“ _You_ can help them!” he snapped back to her, staring at her with wide eyes and that pleading look was even deeper in her face, frantic worry so evident that he felt like he could drown in it, “I don’t know why or how, but since finding you here, there’s been something weird about you, like your gear for starters and the fact that you don’t have your own weapon? Weird,” Jessie babbled some, Terra quirking a brow at the girl, “But there’s something else! I’m pretty good at knowing when someone’s holding back! And with you, _something_ is holding _you_ back,” his heart skipped, throat drying out. _There was no way she could know something like that!_

“I-,”

“Whatever it is, ignore it and help them!” she cut him off firmly, her fear seemingly turning to resolve and mental strength so abruptly that he felt like he may have gotten whiplash, “They need you down there with them!” how could she see that he had a chance against that thing when he knew that he didn’t?!

“I can’t fight that-,” again, he was immediately cut off.

“Get over whatever’s making you think you’re not good enough to use your strength!” she shouted, her volume almost deafening him, and just as he was about to counter-, “Your Master didn’t train you to be weak!”

In an instant, everything stopped, time pausing or slowing down, silence invading his hearing, her strong stare sparking with intense resolve and fiery strength of will. He couldn’t help but agree with that. Because he didn’t, he wasn’t trained to be weak. He was trained to be a warrior of light, on the verge of gaining his Mark, a Master class soldier in the war against darkness.

But then Master Xehanort had- _Get over whatever’s making you think you’re not good enough!-_ used him as a puppet, pulled his strings- _Something is holding you back!_ –and made him a pawn in his schemes...

“I was manipulated to fight my friends and kill my Maste-,”

“Who cares?!” Jessie snapped at him, pushing him back so that they were standing at least two feet away from each other. He was speechless, surprised by the intensity, “You were manipulated! Forced to fight! From where I’m standing, it shows that whoever manipulated you saw your strength and took advantage of it! If you could fight your own Master and almost win, then you have insane power!” _how could he argue with that...?_ “Master level kind of power!” _his attempt at the Mark of Mastery thanks to his Masters urging,_ “Your Master saved you! Don’t waste his efforts by thinking LESS OF YOURSELF!” ...

He could only stare for a long moment, his throat so dry and his eyes so wide, his heart hammer so hard he was afraid it’d crack and break his ribcage. His breathing stuttered, mind and rationality lost for a while before he really tried to process what was said. And what she’d said... he couldn’t even argue with. It made sense, the thought of even trying to go against what she’d said hurt because no, Master Eraqus hadn’t saved his life so that he could think lowly of himself, underestimate himself or for him to waste the effort behind having saved him.

Would he have really raised him, trained him, urged him to try for his Mark and then save him, only for him to berate and stew in self-pity after having been manipulated so easily?

He swallowed against the dryness of his throat, his hands clenching along with his jaw, muscles flexing and tightening under his armour and base-layer. Master Eraqus didn’t train him to be weak, he didn’t train him so that he could cry about how weak he was against a master manipulator and used his failure in the Mark exam to control him. _He wasn’t weak!_

“Stay here. I mean it!” Terra ordered firmly before rounding her and heading for the ladder, grabbing both sides before swiftly sliding his way down to the lower catwalk. He sprinted towards the other end, reaching for the sword he clipped to a convenient part of his armour on his hip, and darted down the path the other two had taken for the ladder to the base level of the building. _But he passed said ladder by a few feet so that he was directly above the robot._

He’d shrugged off the fact that the other two had seen him run above it.

Swiftly, he reached out vaulted the railing, sword in hand and as he dropped, air rushing passed him, he’d aimed his sword, driving it into the sentinels’ head on the way down. Pain throbbed through his side as the massive tail hit him just as the sword penetrated.

“The hell you doin’?!” he heard Barret snap after the brunette hit the ground in a roll, a hand immediately cradling his side as he tried to get up with the help of the blonde that was suddenly there.

“I told you to stay up there with Jessie!” he snapped in a hiss, a heavy frown on his face and aimed directly at the brunette who’d managed to get to his feet just in time to avoid the tail again, the three of them separating and jumping apart to avoid more bullets along with it.

“Yeah, sorry. Turns out she’s better at hero speeches. She’s a lot scarier too,” Terra replied loud enough for the other to hear over the bullets that Barret directed towards the robot, a grumble being just barely heard from the blonde as he shot towards it to attack.

“That’s Jessie for you!” the larger man called out proudly, darting about and sending out his missiles. But before any of them hit, the sentinel effortless disappeared from the ground, launching up towards the wall and attached itself there. He watched as it directed its arms out, areas opening on its sides and anticipation rushed through him as they were let loose, Cloud not needing to guard or drag him around for Terra to avoid the blasts this time.

He dodged swiftly, something helping him along and confidence hit him in waves as the feeling felt far too familiar for him to not know what it was.

Having evaded the last of the barrage of bullets and missiles, Terra darted across the way just as the thing landed on the other side of the area, between them and the bomb with large mounds of debris falling from the rafters.

“I’m not a pawn. I’m _not_ a puppet!” he hissed confidently under his breath as the other two found their safety behind said debris, Terra stopping halfway across the bridge in the centre with strong resolve growling in his chest, clawing and burning. _He could do this. He could DO THIS!_

“Terra!” Cloud snapped from where he was ducked, the two staring, gawking and obviously worried with wide eyes.

Just as he saw the thing light up, its tail charging fast and being abruptly aimed, Terra shot his hands out, his entire form lighting up with a mixture of glowing oranges. His _Keyblade_ appeared out of nowhere, returning as an extension of his arms and the very tip shone bright, a beam breaking from it just as the sentinels did from its tail.

They struck violently, meeting halfway and the force almost shook him, Terra holding his ground with both hands holding his blade, the space around them bursting with a heavy gust from the combining beams.

He growled, teeth clenched with a scowl on his features, he pushed, forcing more power into it and feeling his efforts be rewarded as his side of the strike gradually took over the others, forcing the bots’ beam back towards it.

 _‘I’ve failed you, Terra. Perhaps I’ve no one to blame but myself for the darkness inside you’_ his mind reminded, his Master’s last words returning in the heat of his power returning, building faster and faster and forcing the sentinels’ beam back farther.

“And I’ve no one to blame but you for the light given and nurtured, Master,” he spoke under the deafening thrum of the fighting beams.

He took a deep breath and poured _everything_ he had into the attack, the beam breaking and snapping forward towards the robot, his light breaking its head from its body along with its tail. And the moment it did, the thing started violently vibrating, hitting the ground with sparks and frantic jerks, its tails’ beam being haywire without the funnel the tip provided. It struck the walls, the ceiling, _anything_ and _everything_ within the room.

The area shook, more debris falling and crumbling, hitting the platform.

“The bomb!” Barret yelled over the chaos, managing to get close enough to see it, but then abruptly turned around in a hasty dash, “It started! Go! Go! Go!” he snapped, shoving the two forward on the way passed and headed for the ladder, Terra and Cloud quickly following after him with the brunette being forced up the ladder first by the blonde.

They darted along the first catwalk, Terra actually gaining more speed and was abruptly shoved up the next ladder by _Barret_ of all people. He climbed it as fast as he could, debating on whether to attempt using his Glider but afraid he might not have been able to just yet. He sprinted up the steps to the next platform just as the place shook again, Barret right behind him, but Jessie was stuck, the brunette watching as a large part of the ceiling came down on the catwalk and broke some of the wall with it, rocks falling with one landing against her.

“Jessie!” he called out, having been about to climb and run the length of the massive fallen part to get to her when he’d seen Cloud make his way over without hesitation. By the time he’d made it, Barret was forcing him up the steps and along the upper catwalk, the brunette watching with a rapid heart rate as he’d pulled the rock off of her.

“Hey! We’ll link up over there! Look after Jessie!” Barret yelled to them, Terra feeling relief as he noted that she seemed alright for the most part.

After the shouting, he was shoved hard along the path they’d taken to get there, Terra being forced into a sprinting match with the much larger man, to which he was already winning with his natural speed. He ran slightly ahead, climbing the last ladder in haste until he reached the top.

“Long time no see!” Jessie beamed as they reached the very top, the four of them darting down the hallway with blearing alarms going off with more explosions following behind them from the fire that had started taking over. They ignored it, Cloud running slightly ahead of them as they entered the Sweeper room and darted the length of the room for the stairs around the corner, entering the Utility sector.

Though upon showing up there, more wall sentinels appeared above them, Barret taking them out as they sprinted through the levels for the elevator, Terra almost _gracefully_ tripping over a thick, half a foot high wire tube. _But he saved himself last minute_ and continued after them and grumbling when he heard Barret cackle behind him.

Finally, they made it to the elevator, Cloud having quickly pressed the button, the doors opening and they rushed in, Jessie panting, Barret pressing the button and Cloud-... looking as if this were a walk in the park. _He didn’t look bothered at all. If anything, he looked at home in the chaos._

He felt the lift shift, three out of four in the group sighing heavily and letting the relief wash over them as it started climbing the levels.

“So you were holdin’ out on us, huh?” Barret spoke up, Terra turning towards him after a moment while still panting after that race to the finish line.

“I guess,” the brunette shrugged, glancing between them and noticing that he had everyone’s attention for the moment, _though he wasn’t entirely surprised since he didn’t exactly explain anything about him having abilities like that,_ “It took Jessie to verbally beat me to get me out of my funk,”

“Funk?” Barret scoffed, probably having not actually cared and was just oblivious to it at first. _That wouldn’t have surprised him either._

“In short...” he paused to take a breath now that everything was calm for the moment, “I failed my Masters’ test, another Master took advantage of me feeling like I didn’t make the cut, manipulated me into fighting. I fought my one and _only_ Master, and he saved me. Me feeling worthless was what made it so I couldn’t use any of my powers,” he took another breath, having tried to sum it up without giving anything away and by the stares he was getting, he wasn’t entirely sure whether he summed it up enough.

“So, where did that weird lookin’ sword come from?” the larger of them asked, Terra, letting a smile grace his lips as he was reminded of the fact that he really did summon his Keyblade after all. He was so overjoyed, heart brimming with relief and overwhelming warmth in his chest that he’d finally gotten his powers back and been able to use them to that degree.

“It’s a type of weapon that chooses the wielder. That’s all I’m gonna say about it,” and just as it seemed like Barret was about to continue-, “Jessie?” he called out, her head tilting with a smile on her own face, humming in question, “Thank you,” he lowered his head in a respectful bow, posture firm but fluid with the trained motion he’d show a Master.

“Glad to be of service, Armour,” lifting his gaze while still bowed, a light, amused breath left his lungs as she gave him a salute. A moment later, the elevator stopped, the doors opening.

“Let’s go!” Barret called out between them, the four sprinting out of the lift and being joined by Biggs and Wedge on their way out of the Reactor building.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. It's an "End Chapter".

He’d found a chance to unwind, Terra having found himself being dragged along into what looked like a heartbreaking place to live compared to where they’d just come from. Shacks and hastily hand-built buildings in place of houses, paths made of dirt with many footprints and wheel prints, kids and adults alike wearing old, mismatched clothes instead of the professional, well-fitting and pricey attire he’d seen in the city upon following the group out into the streets after they had to funnel through a destroyed sewer-esque path out from the Reactor.

He’d felt for them, being aware that he had it great before the events during and after the Mark of Mastery test.

Sighing softly, he lifted his gaze towards the bar, seeing Cloud sat there in silence with a drink in front of him, the woman behind the counter talking with Barret and his _daughter._ He eyed the blonde, gnawing the inside of his lip at the fact that they could finally have a chance to talk casually, but more for his need to know why he’d had that grim expression when Zack was brought up.

Almost as if having felt Terra watching him, Cloud looked over his shoulder and seemed exasperated, lingering before standing up and making his way over, setting his drink on the table as he sat down ahead of him.

“What?” the blonde asked, arms crossing over the edge of the table. The brunette turned to fully face him, the question on the tip of his tongue as the mood obviously dropped between them. Cloud knew what he was planning to ask, he could feel it.

“What happened to him?” _he did, he saw the question coming._ The look on his face had been ‘expectant’.

“Zack died a few years ago,” the blonde replied, his gaze lowering to his drink and Terra, Terra felt his blood run cold, his thoughts earlier being confirmed. He really couldn’t imagine it, not that he wanted to, “He saved me. We were betrayed and... he refused to turn tail and run,” cold and warm, his blood was conflicted. Cold for the death, but warm because it sounded like the Zack he’d met. The ambition for wanting to be a Hero, the strength and resolve in everything he aspired to be.

“He became a hero,” Terra muttered his thoughts, a soft and sad smile curving his lips with sad blue eyes boring into the table.

“He was more than a hero. Zack was a legend,” the way he’d said it, the tone used, he could feel the pure adoration and respect he held for him, giving him the impression that Zack had to be more than that, like the relation between himself and his Master. There was a sense of family there, “I’m pretty sure that I’m the only one that knows what he did. I wish more knew the kind of hero he was. I don’t want anyone to forget him,”

“He’s still here,” Terra lifted his gaze to him, meeting Clouds’ very confused one halfway, “ _You_ haven’t forgotten him, he’s in your head and in your heart. As long as even one person remembers him, he’s immortal,” the confusion departed, making way for a thoughtful expression and something sad reaching his eyes.

“I’m sorry that you had to find out like this,” the other man mentioned with a soft tone, Terra letting his smile grow, hiding the sadness that was there. Unlike Cloud, Terra could see Zack again, if even for a few minutes or a few hours. He knew where to find him. That was why he felt guilty and felt for the blonde.

“It’s fine. It’s better than not knowing,” the brunette replied honestly, thinking about having to tell the others what happened to the Master since they probably hadn’t gotten back to their home, and if they had, then he had some real explaining to do... Before that though... he wanted to visit a friend, “Listen, I gotta get going,” he mentioned softly, noting the blonde brow quirking in silent question, “I’ve got something important to do,”

“No problem. Be sure to visit,” Cloud _finally_ cracked a smile his way, no matter the size, that was still a smile, “See you around, Terra,” the man lazily waved as the brunette stood from his seat and rounded the table, the two sharing a _just as lazy_ high-five.

He swiftly slipped away to a quiet area of the slums, being sure that he was alone before he attempted to open a portal, eye boring into the space ahead of him with focus and confidence in his abilities, waiting and waiting before he saw the flicker of light expand and elongate. It grew to his size, a few inches taller and wider, and Terra gave one last look over his shoulder before he took a few steps forward and entered the light, a smile reaching his lips as he really did have his abilities back.

The returned-Keyblade bearer stepped out the other side of his portal, eyes falling on the large statue figures on either side of the entrance to the Vestibule and Arena. His gaze lingered for a while before he took the first few steps, guilt and pre-mourning still weighing in his chest but hidden behind a well-placed smile.

He reached out, hand pushing on one of the doors to see the familiar dimly lit room once more. Continuing forward, Terra stepped through the tunnel to the Arena, finding none other than the boy he’d been looking for. He watched him for a moment, his smile growing ever genuine above the sad one. The determination and the eager grin on the boys’ face, the way he was still training even after the fights he’d been up against just to fight Terra one on one, and to then have it ruined by Hades. _And he was still going..._

“Zack,” Terra called out, the boys head darting towards him as the brunette stepped out from the Vestibule exit and closed the distance.

“Terra! Miss me that much, huh?” his grin became a beaming smile, the boy lowering his sword and skipping over with an even stronger eagerness to his already animated way of motion. He was curious about whether or not he was like that as an adult while being a mentor to Cloud. Given the chance, he’d have to ask the blonde if or when he saw him again.

“Hey, you still on for that rematch?” Terra asked, already summoning his Keyblade and turning towards the Arena with a smirk taking place of the smile.

“Finally!” the boy boomed, fist-pumping and jogging passed him to the other side of the square, “I’ll get the win this time, pal!” he added firmly, getting into place with his sword at the ready. _Did he have the same fighting style when he got older?_

“Let’s make it a Three out of Five,” the brunette suggested, readying himself by getting into position.

“You’re on!” the ravenette shot back, lingering before a bell rung between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that continued reading after the first chapter until this last update, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.
> 
> This was honestly just me wanting to see characters that would never interact come together to play out the FFVIIR Demo.  
> The ending was both sad and heartwarming, and I really hope you all felt it too.
> 
> Thank you for joining me.


End file.
